Rennes vs AC Milan

Rennes vs AC Milan – BTTS 

AC Milan take a three goal advantage into the second leg of this Europa League round of 16 after the French side suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss in the first leg at the San Siro last week.

The loss will have come as somewhat of a surprise to the in-form Rennes who have won their last five Ligue 1 games. However, it clearly left them unfazed as they followed up with an assured 3-1 victory over Clermont Foot the following game.

The lack of goals was also uncharacteristic of the team who had scored 15 goals in their preceding five games. AC Milan on the other hand suffered at the hands of 11th placed Monza in a game that ended 4-2 and saw Luka Jovic sent off after VAR gave him his marching orders. 

With Rennes gaining home advantage, I expect them to put up a far greater fight and with three goals to chase I suspect they will also find their shooting boots. 

They have scored in 15 of the last 16 home games in all competitions and AC Milan have conceded 28 goals in 16 away games in all competitions (an average of 1.75 a game). 

AC Milan have also scored in 15 of their 16 away games this season and with Rennes being forced to go forward I expect there to be counter attacking chances for the impressive Leao and Giroud.

Roma vs Feyenoord

Roma vs Feyenoord – Roma to win

Since the departure of Jose Mourinho, Roma have been hard to beat with their only loss in seven games coming against league leader Inter Milan. 

The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw in which the prolific Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku bagged his 17th goal in the last 18 Europa League appearances. 

This fixture is no stranger to these two teams having previously met in the 2022 Europa Conference League final which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Italians. They have also met in the Europa League quarter finals last year which followed the same pattern of Roma being victorious. 

Roma is a formidable force at home, losing just twice this season and winning 12 of the last 15 at the Stadio Olimpico.

I expect them to continue this pattern of beating Feyenoord who have failed to win an away game in Europe in nine games. 

Toulouse vs Benfica

Toulouse vs Benfica – Benfica to win

The Liga Portugal leaders head to Toulouse for the second leg of their round of 16 tie. They will be hoping for a repeat of the first leg that saw Benfica dominate their opposition and win 2-1 and featured a late winning penalty from ex Real Madrid and Manchester United player Angel Di Maria.

Despite the victory, Benfica will have been hoping to take a larger lead into the away fixture after missed chances saw them rack up 27 shots compared to Toulouse’s seven and an XG of 3.4 Vs Toulouse’s 0.51.

Toulouse are winless in their last six home fixtures and have lost four of their last six fixtures. They are coming up against an in-form Benfica side who have won eight of their last ten fixtures and are unbeaten in their last 20, which features six away wins from their last seven.

Against a side that rarely keeps a clean sheet at home and has struggled recently to get results there, I think Benfica will have no trouble in continuing their fine away form and beating Toulouse tonight.